Find out how popular the last name Portz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Portz.

Portz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Portz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Portz in America

Portz is the 28587th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Portz surname appeared 834 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Portz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Portz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Portz

The surname Portz originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the late 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the German word "Pforte," which means "gate" or "entrance." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a gate or entrance to a town or city.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Portz, who was born in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1587. Records indicate that he was a merchant and trader, and his name appears in several local business documents from that time period.

In the 17th century, the name Portz began to spread beyond Germany to other parts of Europe. Johann Portz, born in 1642 in Saxony, Germany, was a renowned clockmaker and is mentioned in several historical texts on the craft of clockmaking.

The name Portz does not appear in the Domesday Book, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. However, there are records of the name in other historical documents from the 18th and 19th centuries.

One notable figure was Friedrich Portz, born in 1792 in Berlin, Germany. He was a prominent lawyer and legal scholar who wrote several influential works on German civil law. His name is mentioned in various legal texts and records from the early 19th century.

Another individual of note was Anna Portz, born in 1814 in Bavaria, Germany. She was a celebrated opera singer who performed in many of the major opera houses across Europe during the mid-19th century.

In the 20th century, the name Portz gained some recognition in the United States. One notable American bearing the surname was Walter Portz, born in 1909 in New York City. He was a successful businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to various charitable organizations.

Throughout history, the surname Portz has been spelled in various ways, including Portz, Portze, and Portsz, reflecting the regional variations and linguistic influences of different areas where the name was found.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Portz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Portz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Portz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Portz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Portz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Portz, please contact us.

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